


The Other Shan

by AliaraShan



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family, Humor, Mystery, Old Republic Era (Star Wars), Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Spy Stuff, The Force
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:34:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29187870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliaraShan/pseuds/AliaraShan
Summary: After being orphaned at 13, Aliara left her home behind and hitched a flight to Nar Shaddaa to make sure she wouldn't end up under the care of her aunt. Choosing to live a life on the streets instead, she got by moving between shelters and working small jobs until a trespassing incident years later resulted in her arrest. Now, in order to dodge a potential stint in jail, she has no choice but to turn to the family she's worked so hard to avoid. Will she be able to turn her life around, and what will she find when she finally meets the one person her mother had always warned her against?This story takes place within the universe of Star Wars - The Old Republic and features many familiar faces. The story itself, however, is an original in the sense that it doesn't follow any canon player-character arcs/class stories.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. -1-

**Author's Note:**

> No posting schedule, chapters will go up at random because whenever I try to follow any actual planning, life tosses up the middle finger. Comments are welcome, not mandatory, and constructive criticism is appreciated if you feel so inclined. Enjoy. x 
> 
> PS: Tags and such will be updated along the way.

**:: Chapter One ::**

The twin moons of Tython took their final bow and retreated as dawn broke across the planet. An early morning sun painting the sky in tangerine shades and its warmth welcomed the lone shuttle descending from orbit.

Aliara sighed and rested her head against the windowpane. Wispy locks of tawny, brown hair plastered to the side of her face while she peered outside to catch a glimpse of the Jedi Temple down below. The stories she’d been told as a child didn’t do the structure justice as it stood majestically between mountain tops and fields of green. A sight beyond anything she could have conjured up in her mind.

“Initiating landing procedures, all passengers please have your identification documents ready for inspection,” a voice rang over the intercom system and Aliara clutched her datapad to her chest.

Her palms sweaty and her heart heavy—she had no idea what to expect of her upcoming meeting and part of her wished she hadn’t left Coruscant in the first place. Not that she’d been given much of a choice, and the only other option would have seen her going into hiding.

 _‘I’m here, mom, at the one place you never wanted me to visit…’_ The unwelcome thought taunted while she deplaned and put herself through various security protocols.

Marbled hallways and gilded pillars greeted Aliara when she stepped deeper inside the temple. A level of luxurious architecture she wouldn’t have associated with the Jedi Order—it reminded her of Coruscant and the Senate hall.

“This way, please.” A young girl approached and led her down the lower levels of the temple. “Grandmaster Shan waits for you.”

 _‘How would she even…’_ Aliara wondered how the girl knew her face but then again, Coruscant security had likely forwarded her rap sheet. Mugshot and all. That was bound to make for a good first impression.

“In here,” said the young girl as she opened the door leading to Satele Shan’s private chambers. “Grandmaster, your guest has arrived.”

“Perfect, thank you, Yvette.” A honeyed tone came from inside and called out to Aliara next, “Come in, please.”

Though she’d never met the Jedi Grandmaster before, nor seen her, Aliara immediately felt agitated. As if she despised the woman already and she wondered whether her mother was to blame for those sentiments.

The face that welcomed her, however, appeared kind. A warm smile and eyes the same as her mother’s, as her own. Satele’s hair was a few shades darker than she’d expected but other than that small detail, she didn’t look too different from Aliara herself.

“It makes sense, does it not? Given that we’re family,” said Satele as if she’d read Aliara’s mind.

“Related, yes, but I wouldn’t call us a family.” A hint of resentment and mistrust laced Aliara’s tone. “After all, I’m seventeen years old and this is the first time I’m meeting you… my aunt.”

“A regrettable fact.” Satele motioned for Aliara to take a seat and began pouring out two cups of tea. “I was never made aware of your existence until recently. Your mother and I—”

“Didn’t get along, I know. I’m not here for your side of the story.”

“Mm, very well.” If Satele felt offended by the way she’d been cut off, she didn’t let it show. “I do wish to extend my condolences to you. I had no idea she’d passed and left you an orphan.”

“I got by.” Aliara blew across the rim of the plain, white cup between her hands, and hoped her aunt wouldn’t press the subject of her mother any further.

“So I read. Three years of moving between shelters on Nar Shaddaa while working at a chop shop? And then you boarded a smuggler’s ship to Coruscant where you lived on the streets, got by mostly through stealing until three weeks ago when you were arrested for illegally occupying the residence of Senator Dekkard.”

“I thought he’d be gone longer,” the teen quipped.

“Aliara, why didn’t you come to me years ago?” Satele furrowed her brows in concern and sipped her tea.

“Are you seriously asking? I mean, why would I and what would you have done? Stick me here with your Jedi prodigies?”

“Possibly, it depends. Are you gifted with the Force?”

“Nope,” Aliara answered easily and shielded her mind against Satele’s inquisitive stare—a thing she should have done the very second she’d landed on Tython.

There was little she hated more than having her thoughts invaded by Force users. Her mother had done it often in the past, always catching Aliara in white lies and whatever mischief she’d intended on.

“Hmm…” Satele focused her senses once more but her niece’s mind had become a blank slate. “Well, in that case, I would have found you suitable accommodations on Coruscant. Which is what I plan to do now.”

“I don’t need your help.”

“You are seventeen, Aliara, and the only reason you’re not imprisoned for the various crimes you committed is that I agreed to be your legal guardian.”

“Yeah, well, I’m sure you have better things to do than looking after me and I can get by just fine on my own.”

“Be that as it may, you’re my responsibility now and I will find you suitable living arrangements. In the meantime, I have a contact on Coruscant you can stay with.”

“A contact, on Coruscant?” Aliara scoffed. “You coulda had this chat with me via holo and saved me the journey here.”

“I wished to meet face to face.” Satele got up to retrieve her datapad and transferred what information she deemed necessary to Aliara’s mailing account. “I have included the security codes you’ll need to access the apartment as I am not sure whether he is home or even on Coruscant at the moment.”

“He… who?” asked Aliara while she checked her mail, and then her eyes widened in shock. “Shan? Theron Shan? Another relative?!”

“My son,” Satele stated rather matter of factly and continued, “I will also make sure a monthly allowance is deposited into your account until you come of age.”

“I have a cousin?” The news had Aliara’s head spinning still. “Is he the only one or am I going to run into a funny uncle at some point as well?”

“He is the only one, and _that_ is not a story that _I_ wish to get into.”

“Fine, wasn’t gonna ask anyway,” she clipped and tucked her datapad into her backpack. An awkward silence fell between the two women until Aliara finished her cup of tea and stood up. “Sooo… off I go then, I guess.”

“That would be best. I have other matters that require my attention though, if you’d like a tour of the temple first, I could find someone who—”

“Yeah, that won’t be necessary. Thanks.”

Satele nodded. “Will you be alright?” she asked once Aliara already had the doorknob in hand.

“Sure. See you around, or something.”

“Have a safe flight, may the Force—”

It was too late. Aliara had already left the grandmaster’s chambers behind to escape the awkward tension and discomfort. To her, Satele was exactly as her mother had said. Cold, distant, and with a superficial level of care that rarely touched her heart. If she even had one. Every gesture of kindness made only to serve an image she wanted to project.

The experience made Aliara miss her mother’s love and warmth that much more.

* * *

It was the middle of the night when Aliara arrived back on Coruscant and made her way through various security checkpoints. A long walk to the taxi platform and she considered boosting an unattended speeder she’d spotted along the way. Nothing she hadn’t done before but the public defender who’d kept her out of jail had also secured her a second chance, one she didn’t want to waste.

The taxi platform honestly wasn’t that far out anyway and another twenty minutes later, Aliara found herself staring at a triple-bolted apartment door and two security pads. _‘Gee, paranoid much?’_

She knocked twice and waited but when no one responded, she used the access codes Satele had provided her with. Cautiously entering the apartment with her hand searching the wall for a light switch that wasn’t there. Fine, at least the moon shone brightly and the shutters weren’t fully closed, it would have to do.

Aliara removed her boots and jacket, set her backpack down, and through the darkness tried finding a sofa to sit on or perhaps to sleep. The flight back to Coruscant had left her drowsy and the lack of illumination in her surroundings really drove that fatigue home.

“Who lives like this?” she muttered when the only things her hands found were a set of chairs, a small table, a bookcase, and kitchen cabinets that guided her toward the next room.

There her shins hit the soft edge of what appeared to be a bed and she leaned down to discover crinkled sheets beneath her fingertips. A moment of hesitation passed when she considered her cousin might find it rude that she would claim his bed for the night but he wasn’t here, and Aliara had no idea when he’d come home.

 _‘Ah well, if he gets mad then I guess that’ll be our first ever family squabble…’_ she figured and stripped down to her underwear.

Deep sleep dragged her under the moment she curled up on her side, and new dreams presented themselves. Visions of her childhood home and her mother waving to see her off to school. A faceless man, the father she’d never known, standing further up the road ahead of her with his hand stretched out. Shrouded by shadows of the trees along the path.

Each time she’d get close to him, he’d somehow move beyond her reach and it left her fidgeting with the sheets, twisting and turning in her sleep. Beads of sweat dampening the pillow she held scrunched up between the side of her face and her arm.

Her dream turned into a nightmare, looping a dissatisfying chase that had her waking up on the other side of the bed the next morning. A groan traveled up her throat as awareness kicked in, and she fought for freedom with the sheets that held her trapped. Against the unexpected weight of what she first assumed was her own exhaustion until her eyes opened and she found herself staring into the face of a strange man.

Without giving the situation another thought, Aliara pushed off against the person who held her in his arms and scrambled out of bed. Searching for anything she might use for a weapon until she spotted a belt hanging over the back of a chair nearby, a blaster neatly tucked away in its holster.

“Get up,” she nudged the man’s half-naked form with her foot and aimed the blaster at his face. “Up!”

“Buzz off,” the stranger mumbled before rolling onto his other side where he tumbled out of bed due to a lack of space. “Fuck’s sake, Shan,” he added when he got to his feet.

 _‘Shan?’_ Fragments of the previous day surfaced in Aliara’s mind upon hearing her family name and she remembered where she was. Her cousin’s place. Theron. Was that who she’d just woken up to? There’d been no one home when she arrived last night.

“Who are you?” she asked and never lowered the blaster. The man could be her cousin, but he could also be an intruder or some crook who’d been lying in wait for her cousin. Literally, in his bed, but how had a stranger gotten past all those locks?

Maybe he was Theron but Aliara couldn’t be sure and she didn’t trust any man who’d snuck into bed with her, in the middle of the night, while she’d slept.

“Whaddaya mean who am I?” The guy hoisted himself back onto the bed and stared at her in surprise. Watching her face first before his eyes roved down her body and he quirked a grin. “Who are you? Don’t tell me Theron finally found himself a girl.”

“Theron? What, no… wait, so you’re not Theron?”

“No, but I can pretend if that’s what…” His smirk faded fast as a realization dawned, and a split second later he tackled Aliara to the ground where they wrestled for control and the blaster she’d been holding.

“Who are you and why are you here?” he demanded when he gained the upper hand and topped her, having forced Aliara onto her stomach and twisting her arms back to keep her restrained. His blaster pressed to the base of her skull.

“What the… get off!” she grunted and kicked in futility, trying to break away.

“Answer me!”

“I’m Aliara! Satele Shan sent me here for… owww,” she winced at the discomfort radiating down her arm. “Theron! To see Theron!”

“Satele, she… what?” Slowly, the stranger released his grip and stood back. “Grandmaster Satele, of the Jedi Order, sent you here… for Theron?” He sounded skeptical and a little amused.

Keeping her hands held up, fully aware of the fact that he still had the blaster, Aliara rose to her feet and turned around. “That’s what I just said.”

“So you’re not someone who was sent here to kill him?”

“No…” Her shoulders dropped. “And I’m starting to think you’re not either.”

The entire situation was ridiculous and whereas Aliara had felt startled and threatened earlier, she now began suspecting a misunderstanding of epic proportions.

“Me?” He laughed and shook his head. “Theron’s my best friend, why would I want to kill him?”

“You did sneak into his apartment in the middle of the night or sometime early this morning.”

“Well so did you, or did you only just get here? And why are you half naked?”

“Why… fuck.” Aliara flustered and ducked down next to the bed for the pile of clothes she’d left on the floor the previous night. “Don’t shoot I’m just getting dressed!” she excused.

“Yeah… alright.” He sounded hesitant but Aliara heard the rustling of fabric and a flew clicks, and could only assume he was putting on some clothes of his own.

“Are you gonna give me a name, friend of Theron?”

“Jonas.”

“Mmmkay.” While combing her fingers through her hair, Aliara reappeared and folded her arms beneath her chest. “Wanna explain why you thought it’d be a good idea for you to get into bed with me?”

“Me? How about you climbing into… wait, let’s timeline this thing—when did you get here?”

“Just past midnight. No one was home so I let myself in with the security codes I got from Satele.”

“Oh.” Jonas scratched the back of his head and grinned rather sheepishly. “I got in just before dawn… needed a place to crash and knew Theron wouldn’t be here. I swear I never noticed you when I got into bed, don’t actually remember much about last night at all.” He frowned.

“Well then… this is a little crazy and completely awkward,” Aliara concluded. “Uh, do you happen to know when he’ll be home?”

“Not really. Guys like me and him don’t live by any schedules.” Checking her out a second time, Jonas couldn’t help but remark, “I have to say, I’m a little surprised by you being here… that Satele, of all people, sent you. Don’t think there’d be many in this galaxy who’d disagree with the fact Theron is in desperate need of some uh… well, you know, but for her to send someone like you—”

“What?” Aliara stared at him, utterly dumbfounded.

“That’s why you’re here, right? For him,” he emphasized those last two words and Aliara’s eyes widened when she caught on to his meaning.

“Are you out of your damn mind?! I’m his cousin! She sent me here because I needed a place to stay!”

“Oh. Oooh. Well, I suppose that makes a lot more sense.” Jonas flashed an uneasy smile. “Although… no, it actually doesn’t at all. I’ve known Theron for a long time and he has never mentioned a cousin. He’s never even mentioned an aunt or uncle, or any family other than his mother.”

“He doesn’t know, or didn't until recently. Hell, I didn’t know until yesterday but I can prove it to you, alright?”

With a small sprint to her step, Aliara disappeared into the living room where she’d left her jacket and backpack the previous night, and Jonas followed.

“See?” She showed him her datapad and told him everything about her meeting with Satele. “This is the information Satele forwarded to me, and this is my travel log listing my visit to Tython.”

“I believe your story,” said Jonas after he browsed the documents, “strange as it sounds. I’m just… wow. I’m sorry, I honestly thought you’d snuck in here to ambush him or rob the place or something.”

“Can’t really blame you, I thought the same when I noticed you here.”

Jonas chuckled. “I should probably also apologize for the fact that I thought you uh…”

“Were a hooker?”

“Something like that.”

“Mhm. And do you wanna explain the whole ‘hey I can pretend’ line you threw my way before attacking me? When I thought you might have been Theron?” A smile formed on Aliara’s face as she relaxed.

“Err… how about we forget that happened and I make us some caf and breakfast? My way of apologizing to you, and then we can talk some more?”

Aliara deliberately let her answer hang in the air for a second longer, just to torture him, before she agreed, “Alright, Jonas. You’ve got yourself a deal.”


	2. -2-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While there is a flirty/playfulness between Jonas and Aliara, it won't be crossing any lines into content that's considered Underage by AO3s guidelines so don't worry about that.

**:: Chapter Two ::**

A hearty breakfast and two cups of caf later, Aliara found herself in fits of laughter when Jonas told her about one of his recent missions. The kind that had started out as an easy job spying on Hutt dealings, and ended with him running half naked across the Promenade on Nar Shaddaa because his date had turned out to be a Bounty Hunter eager to cut him down in size.

“So, the SIS huh? Makes sense now why you’d think that a strange girl in your friend’s apartment might be looking to settle a score.” Aliara lounged back in her seat, feet propped up on the empty chair in front of her.

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” said Jonas and he sat forward, arms leaning on the small table between them. Taking a closer look at Aliara’s face, searching for a family resemblance and trying to figure her out. All he knew was that Satele Shan was her aunt who had offered Theron’s place up as a temporary residence.

“What’s your story?” he asked when he realized too many details still eluded him. “What were you up to before you got here?”

“Oh, I’m not sure if I want to tell you. We were just starting to get along.”

“Is it that bad? I won’t judge, or I’ll try not to anyway.”

“Yeah, thanks. But, if you really wanna know…” Aliara hesitated and hoped he’d tell her to forget about it, that it didn’t matter. She met his eyes and found them looking at her expectantly, wanting her story, so she inhaled a deep breath and confessed.

“I was caught breaking into… well, kind of living in an apartment that didn’t belong to me. Trespassing on private property and uh, confiscating certain items I felt were of better use to me than the person they belonged to.”

Jonas raised a brow. “Living a life on the wrong side of the law huh?”

“Only for a little while! I was between places and…” The excuses sat ready on her tongue but Aliara tired of them and the need to defend herself, and this was an SIS Agent she was talking to. He’d uncover the truth sooner or later. “Basically, yeah. Not my whole life but for the past few years.”

“What else did you get up to?”

“Mostly theft. Food whenever the shelters were full, clothing articles, my first blaster. Just enough to get by because working at the chop shop didn’t pay much. Boosting and flipping the odd speeder for illegal races earned me decent credits, got me away from Nar Shaddaa but it wasn’t enough to buy a place here so…”

“So you carried on a life of crime until you got caught?”

“I did.” Aliara took to staring at her feet, fully expecting some sort of scolding, but Jonas just started to laugh.

“Ahh, that figures. Every pretty face I meet always comes with some kind of shady past.”

“Pretty face huh?” Aliara looked up at him and dared to show a smile again. Not minding the slight flirtation at all—he was handsome enough. “Listen, I did what I had to to get by. It’s not like I could have gone out to find a real job or rent an apartment.”

“Why—”

Before he could ask further, there was a rustling at the door and the sound of a lock clicking open, and seconds later Aliara came face to face with her mysterious cousin.

Quite a bit taller than she was and his hair a few shades darker. Eyes shaped much like her own but his were a hazel greenish color whereas Aliara’s were blue. An implant decorated the left side of his temple and just above his brow sat two more.

“You’re here already.” One look at her was enough for him to identify the stranger in his home. “Aliara, right?”

“I am, and you must be Theron? Or another of his friends in need of a place to stay…” She pulled her feet from the empty chair and got up, extending a hand which he took to greet her properly.

“I am, and I see you’ve met Jonas already.” Theron cast a glance over Aliara’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be here sooner. Work kept me… elsewhere.”

“It’s fine, this was sorta last minute and unexpected. I’m just glad you offered to let me stay here.”

“Offered? I uh… I didn’t. Satele mailed me late last night to inform me about your situation and that she’d sent you here.”

“Oh…” The feeling of being too much and unwelcome crept into Aliara’s gut when she realized he hadn’t invited her as she’d assumed. “Right, well… uh, if you’re not okay with this then that’s fine, really. Your mother deposited some credits into my account, I can go somewhere else.”

“That’s not what I meant, or want. Just that this kinda took me by surprise.”

Deciding the two immensely estranged cousins could likely do with some privacy and a chance to talk, Jonas got up to take his leave. “I have some paperwork to file back at headquarters so I’ll get out of your hair,” he told Theron before putting a hand on Aliara’s shoulder. “It was nice to meet you, maybe we’ll see each other again.”

Jonas winked before he left, creating a small blush that lingered on Aliara’s cheeks. “Nice guy,” she told Theron. “So… what are we doing with the situation that is me?”

“You’re staying, of course, but we’ll need to make some adjustments, buy stuff. I’m rarely home and I haven’t really had a chance to…” Theron scrubbed a hand through his short locks and scanned his apartment. “Decorate or furnish it properly.”

“Yeah, kinda noticed that when I first came in. I hope you don’t mind but there was only one bed available so I just… I mean, you don’t even have a couch.”

Theron laughed. “I do, but…” He indicated to a massive stack of boxes lined up against the wall. “It’s buried under a lot of old files and stuff I never got around to unpacking.”

Aliara moseyed over and lifted the cover sheet, coughing at the layer of dust that wafted up in her face. “Well, will you look at that, you do have a couch.”

“Where did Balkar sleep?” A realization hit Theron and he quirked his implant-adorned brow.

“Who?”

“Jonas.”

“Oh.” Aliara flustered slightly and chuckled to mask a hint of discomfort, recalling the events of that morning quite clearly. “Jonas Balkar… Yeah, so there’s a story… uhm…”

Somewhat reluctantly, Aliara sat back down and told Theron exactly how she and Jonas had met. From trying to overpower one another to the unfortunate misconceptions that had kept piling up until they’d pieced the facts together.

“That’s…” It took Theron a few seconds to process the story but then he laughed, seeing the whole thing play out in his mind’s eye. “That’s very him and… wow, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It was… confusing and chaotic but he’s, well, he’s not half bad.”

“No,” Theron agreed. “Jonas is a good guy once you get to know him. Tell me more about you though, because Satele only told me she accepted guardianship over you and that you needed a place to stay but nothing else.”

“I suppose I owe you that much but, any chance we can talk while running a few errands? I don’t have any personal uhm… stuff and you know, things.”

“Stuff and things…” The words repeated until Theron’s eyes fell on the small backpack she’d brought with her and he understood. “Ah, yes. Not a bad idea, I suppose I should stock up on some things too.”

“Yeah. I think Jonas used the last of whatever was left in your cupboards for breakfast.”

They left the messy apartment behind in favor of the shopping district on Coruscant and while Aliara browsed for hygiene products and clothing, Theron loaded up on new sheets before meeting up with her again at the food market.

Along the way, Aliara shared the same she had with Jonas—her life of crime on the streets and nights spent in shelters. Some events relayed with more details than others but there were plenty of puzzle pieces left for Theron to try and fit together.

“So you’re a minor, right? That’s why you’re under guardianship?”

Aliara nodded. “I’m seventeen.”

“Can I ask, how are we related? Do I have an aunt or an uncle I never knew about?”

“You have… _had_ an aunt. My mother, Meira. She died four years ago when pirates invaded our home on Dantooine and burned every farm in the village down.”

“Stars…” Theron sunk back in his seat and furrowed his brows. “I’m sorry, I had no idea. Was she—”

“A Jedi? Yeah.” Aliara stirred the milkshake in front of her with a finger, gazing out across the crowd that littered the streets of Coruscant under a bright sun. “Took it upon herself to save everyone, which she did but… well, everyone except herself.”

Theron’s thoughts flitted from the aunt he’d never known to his own mother and he sighed. “It’s their way… Are you Force-sensitive?”

“No,” her response came quick and she looked away. “You?”

“No. I guess with us it decided to skip a generation.”

“I’d say you’re better off… We are better off.”

“Mm.” Occupational habits had Theron observe their surroundings, his attention on a man who’d stopped in the middle of the plaza. Sitting on his haunches for longer than seemed necessary until Theron noticed a little girl running toward the man, arms wide and a smile on her face, and he relaxed. Turning his focus back on Aliara. “What about your father?”

“No idea. She met him during the Great War, saved his life, then they went their separate ways. She’d always promised to tell me more once I was older but… you know.”

A dismal smile lingered on Theron’s face. “I get it. I uh… I don’t know who mine is either, Satele… well, we don’t talk much. Must be a Jedi thing, or run in the family.”

“Mom and I always talked. I guess she just figured there were things about their meeting that I was too young to hear. She did tell me about your mother though.”

“And judging by your tone, she didn’t have a lot of good to say, did she?”

“I uh…” Aliara hesitated. In the few hours she’d known him, Theron had only referred to his mother by name and it didn’t sound as if they had the best relationship, but she didn’t want to offend him either. “No, she didn’t. I don’t think they ever got along… maybe it was the age difference.”

“If I had to wager a guess, I’d say most likely it was Satele being Satele,” Theron suggested.

“Not a warm person, is she?”

“When we talk it is mostly as acquaintances. She didn’t even raise me herself, her Master did.”

“Master Zho?”

Surprised and with his intrigue piqued, Theron leaned forward and pushed his empty cup aside. “Yeah, how do you know that name?”

“He’s a family friend, at least that’s what mom referred to him as. He was there when I was born and he visited a few times during the years that followed until we moved to Dantooine.”

“Hmm. He was there when I was born too, I wonder why he never mentioned either of you.”

“Mom asked him not to. She didn’t want the Order knowing her whereabouts or that I existed,” Aliara felt compelled to at least admit that much so Theron wouldn’t end up feeling betrayed. “I don’t recall him ever mentioning you but I did once overhear him telling my mother that she and Satele had more in common than they knew. I suppose we’re it.”

“Yeah, I suppose so. Why didn’t she want the Order to know?”

It felt like every answer just lead to further questions and Aliara half hated it. She enjoyed getting to know her cousin who thus far appeared kinder and easier to talk to than her aunt, but there were things about her life she preferred keeping to herself. To honor the promise she’d made her mother and to protect herself.

“She was never a fan of their rules, wanted to do things her own way. Be a Jedi without sacrificing her humanity and compassion, or so she said. Didn’t want them to come poking around testing me either, said I deserved a normal childhood,” Aliara shared as much of the truth as she felt comfortable with.

Theron went quiet, a few moments spent lost in memories of the training he underwent at Master Zho’s side only to discover he’d never become a Jedi. Years of hard work wasted on something that would never be, and he wondered whether Aliara had gotten the better deal.

“It’s a shame I never got to meet her, she sounds nice,” he said eventually and then decided to brush the subject aside. “Now, let’s get this stuff back to the apartment, and then we’ll get you settled in.”

“Yeah.” Aliara was happy enough to drop the heavier discussions and got up, gathering her various shopping bags. “Sounds like a plan, and maybe you can help me look for a job? Something useful to do with my time here.”

“Hmm… I think that can be arranged,” said Theron and he glanced over his shoulder toward the Senate district.


End file.
